The federal government is trying to pressure Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency into putting the heat on the state’s so called factory farms. The U-S E-P-A is telling Ohio…..either make these farms operate under stricter standards or face losing thousands of dollars in federal grants; Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles has the story:
Transcript
The federal government is trying to pressure Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency into putting
the heat
on the state’s so called factory farms. The U.S. EPA is telling Ohio, either make these
farms operate under stricter standards, or face losing thousands of dollars in federal grants. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jo Ingles reports:
The Buckeye Egg Farm in Central Ohio is one of the nation’s leading egg producers. And
critics say it’s
one of the leading polluters too. The U.S. EPA is telling Ohio to explain how it will
bring Buckeye Egg
and other mega farms into compliance with the Clean Water Act. If the state doesn’t do
that within the next
week, Ohio could lose up to $400,000. Environmentalists are pleased with this action.
The Ohio Environmental Council’s Jack Shaner says these large farms should be treated like
factories, not
like farms.
“We’re not talking about Old McDonald on the farm here. This is a
large factory sized operation that looks like a factory, operates like a factory and
generates waste like a
factory.”
Ohio EPA director Chris Jones says the U.S. EPA’s action is premature. He argues the state
should be
given more time to work on the issue. He also questions whether the U.S. EPA is
overstepping its
authority.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Jo Ingles in Columbus.